The Management is Bringing Disco Back

All these years I could feel a gap in my heart- something was missing....  Aparently that something was disco.  As of late there seems to have been a wonderful flood of disco influenced rock music- the most obvious of these have been The Scissor Sisters and above all- the formidable MGMT (Formerly known as The Management- hahaha- get it?).

MGMT's newest album Oracular Spectacular is a work of disco influenced modern rock art.  

But hold on- I know that a lot of us aren't really open to the concept of opening wide the gates of disco and allowing it to ravage our radios and dance floors as it once did- I tell you not to fear MGMT- that they'll treat you well; and trust me- this album treats you well.  

The disco influence is not as overpowering in the album as the songs we've all heard so many times on the radio suggest.  In fact it hits the listener with a far more varried mass of sounds- ranging from the oddly psychadellic melodies of "4th Dimensional Transition" to the seemingly Beatle's/Pink Floyd influenced "Weekend Wars"....  And of course the disco jams of "Time to Pretend", "Kids", and "Electric Feel".  

In my humble opinion I'd have to say that there isn't a single bad song on the entire album- which is always a nice change from the rest of the shit we find on the radio these days.  

So when it comes to this newest album here's what I have to say- if you like artists like Muse, Pink Floyd, The Scissor Sisters, The Doors, The Beegees, or anything on the face of the earth with the slightest hint of electronic, dance, disco, rock, or indie influences then you have to check out this album.  

Disco is not only reborn- it's been improved on.  

Take that pop music.  

"Disco deserved a better name, a beautiful name because it was a beautiful art form. It made the consumer beautiful. The consumer was the star."
Barry White

The Oscar Line-Up

First off, I will dutifully apologize for such a long pause between posts. The holidays really screw me over in several departments (work ethic being one of them).

But let us not pause much longer! To kick off the new year, it is only appropriate to begin with the Oscars. The nominees were announced Thursday, some names familiar, others not. Not surprisingly, Benjamin Button snagged 13 nominations, one shy of a record. Also not surprisingly, Heath Ledger was voted as Best Supporting Actor posthumously. But what was surprising is that, other than Ledger's nomination, "The Dark Knight" was not nominated for any other major category. Though it did get 8 nominations for technical...stuff (LIKE I CARE).

What kinda ticks me off is the total snub at Clint Eastwood for "Gran Torino". The man is a fucking LEGEND. Even if he wasn't at his best, it's almost an obligation to nominate him. But, apparently the Academy had something up their tight asses this year when it came to nominations. In all seriousness, how could they shut out Christopher Nolan, director of "The Dark Knight"? Everyone and their mom saw "The Dark Knight" and for good reason: it was an awesome film and deserved more than 8 nominations but...this is an opinion column of sorts.

So without further ado, here is the nominee list for all major categories (who gives a crap about lighting? PSH).

Best Picture: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", "Frost/Nixon", "Milk", "The Reader", "Slumdog Millionaire".

Best Actor: Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"; Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"; Sean Penn, "Milk"; Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler".

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"; Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"; Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"; Meryl Streep, "Doubt"; Kate Winslet, "The Reader".

Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, "Milk"; Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"; Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"; Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road".

Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, "Doubt"; Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"; Viola Davis, "Doubt"; Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler".

Director: David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"; Gus Van Sant, "Milk"; Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"; Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire".

Foreign Film: "The Baader Meinhof Complex," Germany; "The Class", France; "Departures", Japan; "Revanche", Austria; "Waltz with Bashir", Israel.

Best Animated Feature Film: "Bolt", "Kung Fu Panda", "WALL-E".

So that's all the good stuff. If anyone is dying to know about something obscure like film editing or sound mixing (faggot...) just let me know and I'll put it up.

Comments (even ones that challenge me) are welcome.